5 things to improve your golf swing
Golf is an extremely challenging (and frustrating) sport. It is an unnatural motion when we’re learning and the biomechanics of the swing are very undervalued. Not focusing on how the body moves and ignoring old injuries causes the golf swing to be impeded, making us compensate in ways that are suboptimal to our golf swing. Every muscle that is involved with the golf swing is subjected to extreme amounts of force. Here’s a few tips that can help you loosen up before you start swinging a golf club.
1. Hip Flexor Lunge
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Step one foot forward into a lunge position. Keep your body upright and back straight. Bend both knees so that you feel the stretch. Do not let your forward knee pass over the ankle of your front foot. Use a golf club to keep your balance. Hold 15 seconds. Repeat twice on each side.
2. Myofascial Release
You will need a lacrosse ball or baseball for this next one. I want you to feel the front of your hip bone and come off 1inch forward and 1 inch to the outside of your hip. Press around in this spot and surround areas of 1-2 inches. You probably have some really sore spots in this area. Next you’re going to lie face down while supporting yourself with your elbows. Put the ball in the sore spots you found and bend at the knee to 90 degrees. Take deep breaths and sink into the ball and feel the muscles release. This can be really painful so take it slow. This will help your hips move a lot better when you try to swing.
3. Lat stretch
Lats are really important for golf as they connect our low back and shoulders together. When these muscles get tight and overworked they can overload the entire posterior chain and limit your golf swing. Find a doorway, lean over to your side and reach for the doorway. Don’t be rigid with which angle you choose to stretch at, it’s best to do it at multiple angles. Pull nice and easy and you should feel a stretch in your armpit/shoulder. Hold for 30 seconds with light intensity. There’s no need to crank down as hard as you can and this method of stretching can make things worse
4. Foam roll your glutes and mid back
You’ll need a foam roller for this exercise. Foam rolling can relieve soreness, increase your range of motion, and correct misalignments due to tightness or muscle knots. If you find sore spots that are tender spend a little longer on those spots and take deep breaths while you relax into it. You can foam roll your mid back by lying on your back and use your legs to propel you back and forth. Stretch your arms up and down or hold them on your head. Take deep breaths as you find sore spots. You can also foam roll your quads and glutes by lying on your front/sides supporting yourself on your elbow. ROll back and forth and release any sore spots you may find.
5. Chiropractic care
Chiropractic care can improve range of motion and decrease pain associated with your golf swing. If you are experiencing pain or flexibility limitations with your golf swing, please book an appointment with Dr. Ling to assess the specifics of your symptoms.